Longhorn defensive back Holton Hill heads for the end zone with an interception as Texas plays Maryland at DKR Stadium on September 2, 2017.

Photo: Tom Reel, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

Texans general manager Brian Gaine has made upgrading the secondary one of his priorities.

Since taking over for former general manager Rick Smith, Gaine has signed former Cardinals All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu to a one-year, $7.5 million contract, added former Jaguars cornerback Aaron Colvin on a four-year, $34 million deal, re-signed veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph to a two-year, $10 million deal and added former Patriots corner Johnson Bademosi for depth on a two-year, $6.5 million pact.

No, that doesn’t mean the Texans are through obtaining reinforcements at defensive back.

Defense needs help

The Texans ranked second in pass defense and first in total defense two seasons ago. They plummeted to allowing the most points per game in the NFL last season.

The Texans don’t draft until the third round, when they have three selections, but they could wind up with some intriguing options available. Especially if an expected big run on cornerbacks and safeties unfolds in the opening two rounds.

Headlined by Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward, Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and Florida State safety Derwin James, as many as seven defensive backs could go off the board in the first round.

This is regarded as a deep class for defensive backs. And the Texans could use another outside corner and a safety to push Andre Hal, who had a disappointing season after signing a three-year, $15 million contract.

“I would echo that,” Gaine said of the high opinions of the defensive back incoming draft class. “But I see that at all levels within this draft. I see opportunities if you’re picking day one, day two and day three, especially day three. I see opportunities in the secondary where you can get players at any level in this draft, whether you needed a starter, a contributor or a depth reserve who can be a special-teams player.”

Ward is fast at 5-10, 192 pounds and has outstanding footwork. He lacks ideal size, but not confidence.

“Denzel tackles, he’s quick and he’s got ball skills,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. “My only question is how slightly he is built. Big receivers will body up on him, but he’s my top corner.”

He hails from a Buckeyes program that has had a dozen defensive backs drafted since 2010 to tie LSU for the most ahead of Alabama, Florida and Florida State.

Ward is primed to become the sixth defensive back drafted in the first round out of Ohio State in the past six years.

“I want to uphold that tradition,” Ward said. “I want to be the next guy from the Ohio State University. I would say definitely my speed kind of separates myself from other players. I’m fast, very fast. Also my footwork at the line of scrimmage and my ability to mirror receivers and stay in their hip pockets.”

Ward should be the first defensive back selected, or Fitzpatrick followed by James. Other top prospects include Josh Jackson (Iowa), Mike Hughes (Central Florida), Jaire Alexander (Louisville) and Donte Jackson (LSU).

Among the players expected to last until the third round when the Texans pick: Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison, Stanford safety Justin Reid and Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds.

Local standouts

The Texans brought in Pitt safety Jordan Whitehead for an official visit.

They had former Lamar standout Holton Hill, a 6-3, 200-pound University of Texas corner who was suspended for violating team rules, attend their local-prospects workout along with Texas A&M safety Armani Watts.

There’s been a lot of good buzz about Longhorns safety DeShon Elliott, who intercepted six passes and was a Jim Thorpe award finalist.

The need for coverage and tackling skills hasn’t abated for the Texans, or their NFL colleagues. They’re all looking for defensive backs capable of matching up against explosive receivers and big tight ends.

“It’s a cat-and-mouse game back and forth,” Mayock said. “As the NFL is now kind of emulating college, as we're getting more and more of these spread type of players, spreading the field horizontally, ball comes out quickly. I'll tell you one thing we are seeing is defensive backs, corners that can press are critical so you can disrupt routes immediately.

"So that you can't just let everybody throw bubble screens all day long. Having corners that can press, safeties that occasionally can press, has become a big deal. At the end of the day, it's a matchup league, interior pressure, and, yeah, the corner position, I think has been prioritized for years.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans beat writer for the Houston Chronicle, joining the paper in August 2015. He was a Baltimore Ravens beat writer from 2001 to 2015, working for The Baltimore Sun, including coverage of Super Bowl XLVII, the Ray Rice domestic violence case and the careers of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Jonathan Ogden, and previously covered the team for the Carroll County Times and the Annapolis Capital.

This marks the second time the Washington, D.C. native has covered the AFC South, previously covering the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Translator

Get insights, lively discussion and, of course, debate from Houston Chronicle columnists and guests every Thursday as they take on the most current hot-button topics in sports. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It helps! Thanks!